Jews around the world celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, by abstaining from work and fasting, which is considered the holiest day of the year.
The Jewish High Holy Day for the Hebrew year 5783, which began with the New Year's celebration of Rosh Hashanah on September 25, will end tonight at the end of Yom Kippur.
The High Holy Days are a time of prayer, reflection, repentance and reconciliation, with an emphasis on living a life that pleases God. The 24-hour fasting period began at sunset on Tuesday evening.
Jewish tradition uses the image of the Book of Life to describe the meaning of the holy days. God names the book of life on Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, and the book is sealed on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur includes a memorial service, with a solemn reading of the names of those killed in the past year.
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